Angling in County Monaghan
Fishing around Ballybay
BAIRD’S SHORE
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. Year-round this fishery is capable of providing exceptional sport with bream, tench and hybrids, but no two days are ever the same. It performs best when there is a decent wind to create some wave cover and while many matchmen favour the pole, once again an open-ended feeder reigns supreme. It is possible to drive to every swim.
LOUGH MAJOR
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. Major is a 200-acre lake on the edge of town with easy access, car parking, fishing stands and plenty of fish to be caught. Any big nets of bream have been as a result of working with a groundbait feeder and big baits, yet there are plenty of roach and hybrids about to make the pole or big waggler work fishing with.
MULLANARY LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids and perch. Bream are plentiful in this 120-acre lake but stringing a catch together is a miracle and the only real chance is by serious groundbaiting over a couple of days. Otherwise the fishing is good for small roach and it is easy to catch them on a pole or waggler from the roadside swims.
WHITE LAKE
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. A featureless shoreline belies the quality of fishing on the part of the Dromore River system. Big tench have been featuring in mixed catches for a long time and they can be caught on all methods and baits. If you want to catch a decent net of bream do consider some serious pre-baiting. Access is good and there are no long walks.
Fishing around Carrickmacross
BALLYHOE LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, pike and perch. Specimen tench have featured in the two sections of Ballyhoe Lake for decades and these days there are lots of big bream and hybrids too. There’s easy access by car and short walks to most of the popular swims. Tackle-wise be prepared for anything and everything – with large baits and strong tackle to match.
BROTHERS (Lisaniske) LAKE
Expect carp, bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, pike and perch. A brilliant water despite an average depth of 2 metres, with lots of carp, tench 6lb, roach 2lb, masses of rudd to 8 ounces, plus the usual bream, and hybrids. With such shallow water it doesn’t matter whether you use the pole, float or feeder. The lake is located close to town with 14 fishing stands.
CAPRAGH LAKE
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, pike and perch. There is good off-road car park beside the lakeshore and plenty of fishing stands around. Capragh is now for quality bream and some very big tench, while there are always roach, hybrids and perch to liven the day. Fishing with pole gear just over the ledge into five metres of water will almost guarantee a 20lb bag of roach. There is plenty of bank fishing and four stands.
MONALTY LAKE
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, pike and perch. Highly regarded as a specimen fish water after producing outstanding bream, hybrids and tench, but be aware that most of them were caught by boat anglers. Fishing in the early months of March and April and the later months of August, September and October produce best results.
RAHANS LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. Big tench are a feature of this relatively shallow fishery located on the Carrickmacross to Drumconrath road. There are fishing stands and a car park.
DESCART LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench and perch. There is prepared bank fishing and 11 stands, along with good off-road parking. Sport can be patchy and the fish seem to respond best when there is a wind across the water and then almost anything can happen. Pole and feeder fishing with casters, maggots and worms.
Fishing around Castleblayney
GAS LAKE
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench and perch. Gas Lake is noted as an early season fishery because bream from Muckno migrate through a small river into this shallower water for spawning. There are some swims and short walks along the roadside but the more intrepid anglers go in from Black Island and get the biggest catches. An out-and-out feeder water when bream fishing.
LOUGH MUCKNO
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. A brilliant water covering 900 acres with half-a-dozen prolific stretches each with its own character and order of species. White Island offers the easiest access and probably the best fishing with a good cross-section of fish, so one day you might catch a lot of bream and next time the same swim could be packed with roach. Black Island demands a walk of about 100 metres but the rewards from lots of bream make it worthwhile and Concra Wood is famous for its hybrids and roach. Big pike are plentiful in Muckno.
ROSS LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, pike and perch. Another great pike water but absolutely full of roach, hybrids and bream, that have been ‘discovered’ in recent years. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you chuck out a feeder, waggler or fish with a pole, because when conditions are right the fish feed freely. Bank fishing is good and an easy walk.
SMITH’S LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. A tiny water but worth trying because there are some very large bream and tench to be caught. Bank fishing is restricted but access is good.
Wherever you fish in Ireland, the chances of catching fish are hugely improved by pre-baiting to attract fish into your chosen swim. Ideally this is done the evening before (or for a couple of days)using breadcrumb or local maize meal carrying particle baits such as sweetcorn, boiled wheat, hemp and pellets.
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